Education is critical to the successful future of our children and our world.

My name is Russ Schoessler and I created this GoFundMe site to share an education need with you. I hope that you will see the eternal value of contributing to this vision of excellent education for children in Yendi, Ghana, Africa.

Many years ago when his children were young, my friend Reverend Mustapha searched for education opportunities in the city of Yendi where he lives in northern Ghana, Africa. Although the Ghana government prioritizes public education, there were simply not enough resources to build and fully staff schools in his hometown of Yendi. Rev Mustapha was forced to do what a good father would do. He and his wife made the time to home-school their four young children. Soon, his neighbors and friends saw how Rev. Mustapha's children were learning essential skills like math, reading, and local and world events. As expected, these friends wanted the same for their own children.

From that humble beginning, the Northeastern Christian Academy began. Rev. Mustapha has several life passions. This school is his priority. He started it and continues to work daily toward his vision of excellent education for as many children as possible. After 16 years the school has grown to serve more than 200 students of many faiths from the city of Yendi and surrounding villages. These students are taught very well as their test scores prove. Their instructors are skilled and dedicated. More than 200 students have graduated from Northeastern Christian Academy since it was started. And there are always many families who to enroll their students in the school but there is insufficient capacity.

Physically, the school consists of four buildings, all of which are in use. Two are lacking roofs. There are doors and no glass in the windows. There is no electricity. Yet, the school successfully serves students from kindergarten to ninth grade. The priority has always been to provide minimum space and utilities to help the students have the best focus and learning opportunities available. Rev. Mustapha, the Board of Directors and the Advisory Board have plans to add roofs, electricity, a better kitchen and restrooms, a gym, a technology center plus doors and windows.

Over the years, a number of people and groups have donated to the school which is an LLC organization accredited by the Ghana Education Services. There are a number of people who contribute regularly. Some have given hundreds of thousands of dollars. This generosity is why the school has no debt and is not obligated to the government or any religious institution.

As people are generous, Rev. Mustapha applies their gifts to the prioritized list of projects and hires the professionals to do the work. Sometimes this means more sand for the playground. Sometimes it is new paint on the walls. There are many projects that require a large amount of money to start and finish; more than $50,000. Roofs are one example. Large contributions for those projects are rare.

That is why I have started this GoFundMe site. Rev. Mustapha and his advisors estimate that $250,000 is needed just to finish the buildings and infrastructure. That amount will fund roofs, more school buses, the technology center, the administration office, more and better food for lunches, electricity and more. Please note that this fundraiser supports infrastructure improvements only. None of these funds will be used for student tuition or fees.

I know that many people, like me, enjoy becoming involved with important fundraising opportunities like the Northeastern Christian Academy. We plan to update this GoFundMe site with photos, progress reports, videos, updates, and documentation about the school. That means that people may donate and soon see the results. This helps us feel engaged in the project as it is completed.

Will you please join Rev. Mustapha and I in this vision for educating Yendi children?

Thank you!

Russ Schoessler

PS:

When you donate to the school through GoFundMe, a small percentage is deducted by GoFundMe for their services. The rest is automatically sent to an account that is managed by Mr. Christopher Marsh on behalf of Pastor Mustapha. From there, funds are transferred to the school bank account in Ghana. The funds are not divided or allocated before arriving at that bank in Ghana.

Please contact me if you have any questions about the Northeastern Christian Academy, Rev. Mustapha, documentation or other related topics. We can provide the necessary documentation to answer most questions.